How I Met Your Mother
by aloette
Summary: An internship somehow turns into a full-blown chase, as Haurhi attempts to catch two rich runaways. AU, KyoHaru.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this is a random story that I thought of. I haven't even really planned it out yet, and this chapter is iffy.

But I hope people will read it to give me suggestions on how to mack it better. Anything - criticism/flames/comments - is helpful. I think knowing what readers think makes one a better writer as well.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

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Her ears perked up at the muffled sound of a car coming to a stop. She looked at her watch. It was 7:29.

He always came home at exactly 7:30 every night. She knew that he did it for her, that his work was very difficult, yet he always kept this deal with her.

It was a their deal.

Slowly she walked towards the grand door of their home, a mansion. She walked down the grand staircase, underneath the chandelier. From a young age, she had been taught to not run, since it breaks things. She suspected that it was because her mother feared debts, but she wasn't sure. Any moment now, a butler would open the door and he would be there.

Her father.

She knew that her mother despised these acts of 'rich people' though she never really voiced it. But she had heard her mumble before, "Oh why? Why do we have to go through such troublesome things? He could do it very well himself - he's not an invalid." And then her mother would sigh before turning to her daughter and saying with a cheerful smile, "Hi honey, how was your day?"

But her mother wasn't here today. For the next week or so, she would be at a meeting working on an extradition. Her mother, the criminal lawyer.

By now it was 7:31, and she gave a small humph. She had clearly heard the car coming home, and besides, it wasn't like her father to be late, even for one minute.

Finally the door opened, the butler hastily saying, "My apologizes."

The man who appeared didn't give as much as a second glance at the butler, his expression cold with distaste. But then he smiled at the sight of a little girl.

"Akari? Did you wait for me?"

He received no answer because his daughter had jumped onto him, crying out, "Father!"

He laughed, but it sounded forced. "Did you eat yet?"

She shook her head. "You're late."

"A meeting, but let's not talk about it right now. For now, let's go eat dinner, and then maybe I'll tell you…"

"Will you swear an oath with me?"

The man groaned. "What has that Tamaki of an idiot taught you now?"

Akari looked up at her father. "I'll tell you if you tell me why you were late."

Ohtori Kyouya made a smirk and he said, "Deal."

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"Father, tell me a story." Akari sat on a plush armchair, in the 'fetal position' her uncle Tamaki had taught her. Although he was a grown man and had his own home, but he loved coming to the Ohtori Residence to see Akari, his daughter/grandaugher/niece, depending on who he was talking to.

He always acted same way, calling people the wrong names, like 'Father' became 'Mother', 'Mommy' became 'Daughter', and she became everything else. But she endured it, as he was her parents' friend, but she still couldn't help herself when one time she had called him a "weirdo." Instantly he had crouched into a fetal position in the nearest corner. Some people are just weird, she thought, but she felt that he was a good person anyway.

"I'm working, maybe later," Kyouya said.

"You're going to keep your deal?"

"Of course. I need to finish the paperwork, and then I'll tell you a story."

"You need to tell me a good story."

"And why is that?" Kyouya's hand was deft as he filled out form after form, not missing a section. Surprisingly, he was able to work fast, even with his daughter peppering him with questions. But then he remembered his friend. Tamaki.

"Shiro-chan only knows fairytales. Those aren't real - everyone knows that. I want to know a real story," Akari was explaining.

The aging maid, named Shiro-chan for her hair color, was one of the oldest maids Kyouya had ever known. She had worked for his father, a long time ago, and she now worked for him.

He looked at his daughter. With shoulder length wavy black hair and cat-like eyes, she almost seemed like a small girl-version of him. Whenever they went out, people would immediately recognize her as his daughter, Ohtori Akari. In fact, everything about her resembled him; that is, except for the large chocolate-colored eyes she had inherited from her mother.

Then he looked up over at the armchair she had been sitting in only to realize that she was gone. Although Akari was only seven years old, she possessed a great understanding of the people around her. She had also inherited her mother's practicality, Kyouya thought with a smile. He continued working on his papers, when the idea hit him. He had just thought of a story to tell her, a wondrous and very real story.

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Kyouya didn't usually tuck his daughter into bed; that was his wife's department. But Haruhi was gone for the next two weeks, off in Osaka for a long extradition proceeding. There was only father and daughter in the house, not counting the servants, maids, butlers, and cooks of course.

He wasn't used to telling stories either. As a child he usually read books by himself, but…it seemed like Akari hadn't reached that stage yet. He didn't mind it though.

Even from the door, Kyouya could see his daughter waiting for him on her bed.

"Do you have a good story?" she asked.

He pulled up a chair next to her bed, and wiped his glasses clean.

"Well, I certainly hope so."

She was impatient. "What's it about? What's it about?"

"Here's what's going to happen," he said, business-mode. "It's a very long story, and I can't very well tell it to you in one night. So I'm going to tell you a piece of it each night, and it'll be finished by the time your mother comes home, okay? But, I'm only going to tell you so much each time, and when I stop, you have to go to sleep."

He glanced at the bedside clock. In flashing green lights, it read '9:32.'

"Okay," she said. "Deal."

They shook hands. Then Akari asked, "So what's it about? Is it real?"

"Yes," he said, taking in a deep breath.

"You answered my second question, but you didn't answer the first," she pointed out.

He gave a small chuckle. Even if she didn't resemble Haruhi, her spirit definitely did. Then he answered her question. "I'm going to tell you the story of how I met your mother."

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Please tell me how I did! Bad, horrible...worse? Like I said, it hasn't been revised a lot, so there's a lot of room for improvement.

Also, I'm not sure how Kyouya would act as a father, so I'm winging it here. He might be kind of OOC. If you noticed something about him that seems OOC, please tell me so I can change it. Any suggestions to make him more in character, please tell me.

Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I got reviews! I'm so happy, so thank you to everyone.

As I was writing this, I realized that I had inadvertently used some ideas from the movie _Catch Me If You Can_. I totally did not realize that. Wow...I hope I don't use anything else...

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

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"Kyouya! Kyouya!"

Sitting quietly at his desk, eighteen-year-old Ohtori Kyouya did not even have to look up to see who was calling out his name.

From the excitement he heard in the voice and from the first-name familiarity, Kyouya knew instantly that it was his friend, Tamaki.

They were in their last year of school together, at Ouran Private Academy. And on this particular day, Kyouya had promised to go with Tamaki to a private dinner, honoring his father on his induction as a lifelong member of the Business Society. The Business Society was one of the most prestigious names in the business world; it took years and years of hard work before even being _considered_ as a nomination of membership.

For Chairman Suoh, Tamaki's father, to be granted such as honor was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

And Kyouya had been invited to the induction ceremony.

Personally, he felt that this was good timing. His father, Ohtori Yoshio, had yet to name his heir, and meeting some new prospective partners in this time period might be beneficial to him. So he had readily accepted Tamaki's kind offer.

Although Tamaki was technically an illegitimate child, he was the only son in the Suoh family, and Kyouya assumed that he would be the heir no matter what. His grandmother was not immortal, and once she was gone…then Tamaki would have no opposition whatsoever.

However, Kyouya would learn that his friend had some other plans in his mind.

----------

The whole affair was somewhat tedious, however the merits hidden were astronomical. Kyouya had already spoken to several big-time CEOs who expressed interest in partnership with the Ohtori name, and this was to Kyouya the best wish he could ever want.

When Chairman Suoh made his speech, he had clapped his hands politely. Meanwhile, Tamaki was more expressive – he had stood up, tears building around his blue eyes, and had even run up the stage to give his father a warm embrace.

The audience loved it, the applause getting louder and louder.

Father and son stood on stage, smiling at one another. And then it hit Kyouya. He could not remember one time when his father had embraced him in front of others. The kind of bond that Tamaki had with his father was something Kyouya would never get.

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The next day was a Sunday, a day Kyouya relished because he could sleep in all day, with no one to bother him…

RING! RING! RING!!!

No matter how sound asleep he was, he would always hear that horrible shrill of a phone. Groaning, he tried to hide under his covers, attempting futilely to block out the phone. It kept ringing and ringing.

Slowly, Kyouya sat up and rubbed his eyes. Incredible annoyed, he wondered who it could be. Normally, all calls to the mansion had to go through the main phone before it could be transferred to his private line. Obviously, this caller had no sense of privacy or manners, yet was familiar enough with the staff to be let through.

The phone rang with no intent of stopping.

He put on his glasses and realized the one person it could be. The clock on his wall read, '7:47.'

_For the love of God…_Kyouya slowly reached for the phone. _Someday, I'm going to kill that bastard Tamaki_. 

"Hello?" He said into the phone, deciding to not hide his fury.

"Kyouya? I'm sorry that I called you this early. I know you usually don't like that, but I really need you to come with me and um, I'll come to your house. I'll be there in…twenty minutes. Please Kyouya? I need a favor." Tamaki's voice was panicky and fast. Kyouya's grogginess did not even register half of what Tamaki said.

And before Kyouya could even answer, Tamaki hung up.

He stared at the phone for a few moments and tried to think clearly. Then his face turned dark with rage. _That bastard…_

----------

Despite his anger, Kyouya did eventually get up, and by the time he had finished dressing, Tamaki was already outside his bedroom door, banging loudly. With clear distaste, Kyouya gave himself a mental note to tell Tachibana to get thicker doors.

"Come in," he said.

Tamaki slammed open the door and ran to his friend. "Kyouya, Kyouya, you have to come with me. I need to do something, but I can't do it alone. I need your help."

He had latched his arm onto Kyouya, who shook it off. "This better be good."

Tamaki nodded. "I'll tell you in the car."

----------

A long black limo awaited Kyouya and Tamaki outside. A chauffeur opened the door, and the two stepped in.

"So what brings you to my home at the godforsaken hour of 8:10? You _do _know that it is 8:10, right?" Kyouya said.

In the seat next to him, Tamaki shifted uneasily. "Actually, I'm going to tell you something, and…stop me when you don't know something."

"I sincerely hope that this isn't something idiotic."

"Kyouya! Just hear me out!" Tamaki pouted.

Then he looked out the window. "Our family hasn't been doing as well as it sounds. Sure, everything looks wonderful on the surface, but really, it isn't that good. My father's induction into the Business Society was more of an act than a real performance. A kind of cover-up. It's not that my father does not deserve to be a member, but our company has been losing a lot of money lately. I'm sure you know of all of this."

Kyouya knew. Of course, the declining performance of a rival company was good news for his family, but that rival company was his friend. "Go on."

"My grandmother has always opposed my becoming heir for my father. With the way things are right now, my chance is almost decidedly gone. Her logic is that…if my father cannot manage the company, would an illegitimate son do any better? I…am not sure. Of course I have thought about becoming heir…but I am not sure if that is what I truly want to do."

"What does this have to do with me?" Kyouya asked. "Seeing as I am technically your enemy, belonging to a rival family."

Tamaki gave a weak smile. "I'm getting there. A few years ago, I dreamed fantasies that perhaps that I could find a different profession. Besides, with my looks, I could be a model! Or a movie star! But now that I think about it, I probably will not, but that does not mean I _can't_ use my looks."

"And I'm assuming your looks have something to do with me?"

"Yes, it does. My family is losing most of its money; I can't deny that. Whether I would be a better leader than my father I do not know. But I do know that I'll need to supply money to my family to avoid destitution."

"You mean get a job?"

"Not just any job," Tamaki said.

"And what job is that?"

"You'll see."

The car drove through the still city; very few cars were out. "By the way, where are we going?" Kyouya asked.

"Japan Post Bank," Tamaki said simply.

Japan Post Bank, the largest bank in the world, was worth around 3,500 billion yen ($3.2 trillion U.S.). Kyouya did a double take. "A bank?" He hadn't expected to be going _there_ of all places.

By now it was nearing 8:30, the streets beginning to get busy from morning traffic. The limo's speed gradually decreased, coming to a stop in front of their destination.

"This isn't Japan Post Bank."

"Of course, we cannot go into a famous bank wearing street clothes. We'll need more formal attire," Tamaki answered. The driver got out and opened the back door.

When Kyouya got out, he saw that they were in front of a tux-renting store. Unfortunately, the store was closed.

"We already have formal attire. If perhaps you had told me that earlier, we could have gotten that from my house. Besides, the place is closed."

"As could I. But this will be a test."

"A test of what?"

A barred gate blocked the front door to the store. Peering through, Tamaki could see the silhouette of a woman employee getting ready to open the shop.

He knocked loudly, getting the woman's attention.

_Can't people learn to read signs? It says so very clearly in the front. _The woman sighed. However, when she slightly opened the door she saw a blonde man standing in front of a dark-haired man. She slightly gushed; the two were handsome.

"I'm sorry, the store doesn't open until 9:30," she said in a monotonous tone.

"Ah, how horrible." The blonde man made an exasperated motion. "Please, madam, my friend and I are in dire situation. We are in need of two of your finest suits. So if you would be so kind as to-"

"I'm sorry." The woman cut him off. "Come back in an hour, and we'll be open then."

"Ah, but madam." The man looked deeply distressed, as if debating whether to tell her something. "My friend and I are on our way for the funeral of a very dear friend. We are in desperate need of suits."

"No. I'm sorry, but we're closed."

Tamaki's eyes pleaded with her; she tried her best to ignore it. When he saw that it did not work, he asked, "May I ask for your name?"

"Ah…um, my name is Kanako."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Kanako-san," the man said politely. Then he reached into his pocket and took out a gold bracelet. "I'm sorry, but did you drop this in the parking lot? I think it might be yours."

She eyed the gold bracelet and the two men. They certainly seemed sincere enough; they were definitely good looking. Besides, it was a gold bracelet… She smiled as sweetly as she could. "Actually, yes...that is."

Slowly, Kanako unlocked the bar gates of the store, and let the men inside. When they walked in, she could have sworn that she saw a look of bewilderment on the bespectacled man.

Ten minutes later, Tamaki and Kyouya were back in the limo, each carrying a bag with clothes.

The limo lurched forward, this time to Japan Post Bank.

"What was that for?" Kyouya asked. "The bracelet? That was obviously fake."

"As always, your eye for these details is acute. Don't you see? A commoner sees it as a win-win situation. She's getting it for free, after all."

"Wait. You're planning to go into some sort of job by using chivalry to get what you want?" Kyouya asked.

"This is only the beginning. Like I said, the getting the suit part was just the beginning. Trust me on this Kyouya." Tamaki tore open the bag and reached in. "Let's change now. We need to switch clothes before we get to the bank."

Without a shred of trust in his strange friend, Kyouya put on the suit. And for the first time in his life, he was confused.

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"What were the suits for, Father?" Akari asked, deeply interested.

Kyouya looked at the clock. It was almost ten thirty. "It's getting late. I'll stop here."

"Aw...but I want to know..."

He smiled at his daughter. "Well, while I am pleased to know my story isn't making you fall asleep, it's getting late. I'll you what happened tomorrow."

"...Promise?"

"Of course."

And so, Akari went to sleep, dreaming up the possibilites of her father's story. A wondrous and fantastic story of handsome men and suits...

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How did I do? I think Kyouya might have been a bit OOC, since he usually knows what's going on. Maybe because he's still sleepy? I don't know. I'll try to make it better next chapter. If you notice something wrong with the way they're acting, please tell me so I can change it.

Haruhi doesn't come in until maybe chapter 4 or 5? I don't know. For now, it's mostly Tamaki and Kyouya. Also, they go to Ouran, but there isn't a Host Club. Haruhi does not go to Ouran. I'm not sure how the others will be in the story, but I want to incorporate them beause it'll be fun.

So where is Tamaki leading Kyouya? What is going on?

Please review! All suggestions welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay. It took me a while to get this chapter out because I wasn't sure how to write it in a way so that the characters are still in character. Kyouya, especially, is probably still really OOC, so I'll use the excuse that this is an AU fic. What a lame excuse - but oh well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

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The next day, at 9:32 p.m., Akari was sitting by her desk, huddled over some work. When her father came into the room, she looked over her shoulder, immediately stopped, and ran over to her bed. She sat on it and looked up eagerly at him.

"I hope I wasn't disturbing you," Kyouya said.

"Oh, no. It was just a project," she replied.

"And what project is that?"

She paused for a moment, debating whether to tell him. Then she looked around, as if there was some other person in the room. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "It's a secret."

He gave a small smile. "So I'm going to assume that it's for your mother?"

"Father! You're not supposed to know!" She pouted.

"Right," he said. "Moving along here; now where did I leave off…?"

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After going through all the morning traffic, the limo came to a stop at Japan Post Bank. Two tall men in suits stepped out, and a passing bystander would have thought the men to be big business owners, not two high school seniors on a mysterious quest.

Kyouya ignored the attention; it was something he was used to. His way of walking revealed his high status. He took long graceful strides, the footsteps almost synchronized. He followed Tamaki to a clerk teller.

"Hello, madam," Tamaki said to a young girl. "My name is Suoh Tamaki."

The girl gave a slight jump. Even people who were not familiar of the business world would know the name of Suoh. Hurriedly, she wrote something down on a slip of paper. Then she looked up and said, "Please take a seat at any one of those vacant tables. An employee will arrive momentarily."

The handsome blonde man looked straight into her eyes. "If you please, my friend and I are on a rather _urgent_ business matter. Would it be too much to ask for a private room?"

She stuttered. "Ah-um…um. Yes, of course. Let me check whether the rooms are available or not. It'll take a few minutes, so please take a seat. Um…I'll send someone over to take you there."

"Thank you."

And the man left, leading his bewildered friend to the nearby lounge.

"And what matter is this, Tamaki?" Kyouya took a seat.

"Remember I was talking about getting a job?" Tamaki sat down across from him.

"Of course, though I cannot imagine what job would befit the heir of a company."

"This is not just any job, Kyouya."

"Indeed. Go on."

"And…remember what I said about using my looks? ...Actually, you've probably figured it out by now. So why don't you tell me. What am I doing?"

The bespectacled man sighed. This was obviously another one of Tamaki's games; and he was in no mood to solve it. However, it was rare for a game to be so equivocate, and yet so intriguing. So he decided to go for it. "This is what I know. You are looking for a kind of job where lineage and money will help. A job where…your looks will help convince your doubters. At the tuxedo store, you used a fake necklace to get in, even though the store was closed. Chivalry. Looks…" He stopped midway.

Tamaki laughed. "As always, you deduce the information around you so efficiently. You're right. Completely right, but you haven't named that job yet."

Then, Kyouya noticed a man in uniform, probably an employee, walk in their direction. He stood up, and Tamaki did the same. "Don't worry Kyouya. You'll find out."

"Suoh-sama? Ohtori-sama? You have been granted a private office. This way please."

Kyouya looked at Tamaki, then at the employee. The man started walking in the opposite direction.

Tamaki followed the man, and Kyouya had no choice but to follow his friend.

----------

The private room turned out to be the manager's office.

She opened the door for them, and held out her hand politely to usher them inside.

"Please, sit," she said, motioning towards the two armchairs in front of her desk.

"I would like to thank you, first of all-" Tamaki began.

"Asakura Mina. I am one of the managers of this establishment," she said, holding out her hand to shake his. She did the same to Kyouya, who returned the gesture with a polite smile. "So, what gives me the honor of meeting with the young masters of the Suoh and Ohtori families?"

"Please, Asakura-san, coming to a famous bank like Japan Post Bank is an honor that I have only dreamed of," Tamaki said.

"Oh, thank you." Then she leaned in business-like and asked, "What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you, Askaura-san."

"Of course. You only need to ask."

"Well, there are some issues that I cannot exactly speak of – for privacy reasons – but because of these issues, I must make some loans…"

"I would be honored to give out a loan, but I'm afraid I must pry. Could you tell me your issues?"

Tamaki took a deep breath, and just barely, small tears were visible along his eyes. "It has to do with my mother…" He looked down. And he proceeded to tell a long and distraught tale of his mother's disentegrating health.

_His mother?_ Kyouya thought that it was an incredibly wild reason. For some reason, he highly doubted that Tamaki was here for his mother, a woman he hadn't seen for four years and counting. He knew that his mother was poor in health, but it wasn't very plausible. _Think!_ _This has something to do with a job and looks!_

Asakura politely listened, and offered her condolences. If this was an act, Kyouya thought, Tamaki was certainly becoming a good actor.

Tamaki and Asakura were talking about making loans, about family, and other topics, but Kyouya wasn't listening. He sat back in his chair, deep in thought. For once, there was a game that he was interested in. The talking around him didn't register in his mind – it sounded like gibberish.

A job… 

"Thank you very much." Tamaki's voice suddenly alerted Kyouya, and he saw that his friend had stood up. He was shaking Asakura's hand, and she was saying that it was no problem, whenever Tamaki had trouble in his family all he needed was come to Japan Post Bank.

Then Tamaki and Kyouya left, leaving a still shocked woman behind.

Seeing the door close after them she was muttering, "Such a sad story. I cannot imagine why such cruelty would be done to a wonderful boy's mother…"

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Once safely back in the limo, Tamaki turned towards Kyouya. "So what do you think?"

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't listening to your conversation. I was trying to think of what job it would be," Kyouya said.

"It's okay; it wasn't important anyway. And you did figure it out, right?"

"I have a pretty good idea…but it's quite outlandish. I cannot imagine why you would do this."

Tamaki laughed. "I have never known you to call your own conclusion outlandish."

"I hope you aren't serious about doing this. You could get into trouble – jail perhaps. Negative attention will only hasten your family's downfall. What will you do with this money you got today?"

"From what you've said, I take it that you really have figured it out. The money will be the first of my income to my family, of course. And I don't intend on getting caught. I have you, don't I?"

"What makes you think I'll do this with you?"

Tamaki stopped laughing. His face became serious as he said, "Because you're my friend. Think about it; I'll wait for your answer."

"Because I'm your friend, I'll break laws with you? Don't do this."

"I have to!" Tamaki grabbed Kyouya's hand. He snatched it away. "I don't have a choice! Or should I stand aside and watch my father fall into despair. I thought you would understand; besides, it'll be an adventure!"

"I have my own priorities, unless you didn't notice. Also, I, unlike you, may have a chance of inheriting a _healthy_ company. I'm not going to follow you on this. I can't."

"Kyouya-"

"I'm sorry."

"But…can you at least tell me what the job is? I want to know if you got it right."

As if on cue, the limo stopped. Kyouya saw that they had returned to his home. The chauffeur opened the door, and he got out.

He turned around one last time, looking at Tamaki, almost in disbelief.

"I never imagined you as a con artist."

----------

Lying alone in his bedroom, Kyouya pondered the meaning of Tamaki's words.

_I have to! I don't have a choice!_

_No choice, huh?_ Kyouya couldn't imagine Tamaki going into crime of all things to support his family. But he had seen him first hand lying to people to get what he wanted. Access into a store, loans for an unknown, but probably infinite, amount; who knew how far Tamaki could get? And if Tamaki ever got caught, Kyouya would get involved, seeing as they were together.

_I don't intend on getting caught._ That meant Tamaki was confident about himself…but. _I have you_, _don't I?_

Kyouya thought about his options in the future. His father had yet to announce his heir, and Kyouya certainly did not want to miss out on that.

He thought to the induction ceremony of the Business Society to day earlier. He thought about the bond that Tamaki shared with his father; a bond he never had with his own father. His father was intelligent, an extremely capable man – yet he never seemed to prioritize his own family.

_But if we never get caught…_

He shook himself. He would never stoop that low. Going with Tamaki meant running away. Where? He didn't know. His father would know immediately something was wrong. He would send people after them, and Kyouya would be found out. And then he would be out forever. Disowned. No chance.

_I have you, don't I?_

Kyouya mulled himself to sleep, unsure of his future as ever.

----------

For the next week, Kyouya acted quite detached from life. Most of his classmates did not notice anything, and Tamaki was keeping his distance for once. But Kyouya could see in his eyes that he was waiting for him.

_It'll be an adventure..._

He passed through the week absently. He was there, but he wasn't there.

When teachers asked him questions, he answered them perfectly, but his voice had a robotic tone to it, as if he was programmed to recite answers.

At home, he dumped his bag on the ground, and sat at his desk just thinking – very unKyouyaish.

He thought to a conversation he had with Tamaki a few years ago…

_They were at Kyouya's house, sitting at a kotatsu._

_Tamaki was rambling again. _

'_I have the perfect idea for a club! A club where we use our looks for profit!'_

_Kyouya, who was bringing tea over, stepped on his sitting friend. 'Sleep talk when you're asleep.'_

_Tamaki was laughing. 'No. I'm serious. It could work…'_

That idea of a host club never took off. Kyouya deemed the idea as ludicrous, crazy. Being the good friend he was, Tamaki had dropped the idea.

Thinking back, Kyouya wondered what might had happened if they really had created a Host Club. Would he have acted differently?

_Forget it._ He didn't want to deal with another side. He wondered if he had gotten soft, a trait that would go against him if he wanted to be the heir.

Then he thought some more until he realized that it was the next day.

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Kyouya looked down and saw that Akari had fallen asleep. The time flashed 10:30.

Maybe she found my whole decision making process boring, he thought. Then he took out his black notebook, and wrote himself a small note about it. Who knew; it might be useful information to him someday.

Akari's breathing was slow and steady. He smoothed the bed covers over her, turned off the lights, and looked at her for one last time before leaving.

_Good night._

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This chapter is really OOC for Kyouya, so I'm sorry. I can't imagine him spacing out or being unsure of himself. He's going to make his decision next chapter...I think. I'll try to make him more in character next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, now Haruhi finally comes in the story. Whoot. And so do the twins...

Thanks for the reviews!

(Edit 3/14/08: I _really_ didn't like this chapter. I just had to edit it. There's a lot more explaining in the beginning.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

* * *

"When does Mommy come in?" Akari asked the next day. "She hasn't come in the story yet, has she?" 

"True," Kyouya said. "But then the story would be out of order and it would make you confused."

"Oh, really? Then I guess it's okay."

He straightened his glasses. "I thought so."

----------

A door slammed open, and two young men rushed in.

"Did you hear? Haruhi! You got chosen for that new internship program! Only five people from our school got in!" one of them exclaimed.

"Come, come! The director's looking for you, and this is a chance for you to dress up!" the other said.

The girl in question was sitting at her desk in her dorm room, huddled over papers. She turned around, small dark circles just beginning to appear under her eyes. "Huh?" She stared back at her two friends, orange-haired twins.

"Haruhi, did you hear us?" the one with hair parted to the left said. The younger of the twins, Hitachiin Kaoru, was a lot calmer than his brother, who was hot-headed. Kaoru tended to be more sensitive to Haruhi, but he still joined in on his brother's antics anyway.

"Yes, Haruhi, you need to get dressed," the other chimed in. Hitachiin Hikaru, the older twin, was the more aggressive of the two. Although both were studying fashion at Tokyo University, it was Hikaru was had the flair and personality to carry on as the head of his mother's fashion business. Kaoru, on the other hand, was content with working behind the scenes, but he would still help his brother with all important matters.

They had befriended Fujioka Haruhi, a special scholarship student,at the start of the year. They found her highly entertaining and highly oblivious to their usual charms. It amused them, and that was probably why they referred to her as their "toy," despite her protests.

As for Haruhi, she wanted to concentrate all that she could on her studies. People like the twins could fool around all they wanted too, and still get well off, since they had their careers planned out along time ago. It shook her a bit that they could have their dream job without ever needing towork for it.

From a very young age, Haruhi had decided what her dream job was, but she had no easy means to attain it, unlike the twins. Haruhi wanted to be a lawyer, and the branch of law that she was most interested in was criminal law. That was what her mother had done, had excelled at. If Haruhi could be half what her mother was, then she would be content.

The '_was_' was there because her mother had passed on when Haruhi was a child. She now lived on-campus at one of the dorms at school. Her father had also passed on, sadly, when Haruhi was thirteen.

Maybe that had been another reason why the twins took such an avid interest in her. After all, it certainly wasn't her physical beauty. Haruhinever thoughtof herself as a beauty, andher short cropped hair sometimes confused her as a boy - not that it mattered to Haruhi, of course.

Still half asleep, Haruhi did not register the words that the twins were saying to her."I got…chosen?" She blinked twice. Then she opened her eyes and pushed her chair back and stood up. "Thanks for telling me."

She walked towards the door, but the twins didn't let herout. When she looked up, her face looked confused. "Huh?"

"We said: you need to get dressed!" Hikaru repeated.

"And we have the perfect outfit for you!" Kaoru finished. He held up a Chinese-style cheongsam (qipao), obviously another one of their creations. It was a vibrant red with a floral design. The dress was actually quite modest - knee length. Hikaru also held some matching hair pins that were probably antiques, Haruhi thought. (AN: I'm sorry, I have no imagination. If you have a better Hitachiin creation in mind, please say so, and I'll change it.)

"It's very fashionable nowadays. It's traditional but still beautiful. It's perfect for you!" Hikaru added.

"Yes, indeed. Actually, there are many models who wear it. Our mother had a fashion line like this last year."

"Oh, Kaoru, are you having the same idea as me? Perhaps Haruhi..."

"...could be a model? Of course!"

"She would be perfect!"

"We would have so much fun!"

But then the twins noticed something was wrong. When they looked down, their petite friend had disappeared.

Haruhi was already gone.

----------

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Fujioka-san," the director said. He was rather young, in his twenties still, and he saw the potential in this young woman. Like many others, he believed that she would excel as a lawyer after she graduated.

"Thank you, Izumi-inchou-san. I'll try my hardest."

"I'm sure you alreadyknow what this internship is about. A chance to work with the Criminal Investigation Bureau in the NPA (National Police Agency) for a month is quite an honor. As the director of this program, I can help with answering your questions, but other matters you will relate to youradvisor in the Bureau-" he fumbled through his papers"-and...that is Houshakuji Renge.I wish you all the luck; usually, an internship leads to many job opportunities."

Haruhi bowed and thanked the man again. Then she left, feeling content with her good fortune; she wanted to take full advantage and learn all she could.

----------

Not to her surprise, she was the youngest person in the Criminal Investigation Bureau. She was still a student in the law program at Todai after all. Her first assignments included trailing a senior officer around his work; she watched what he did and took notes. She poured coffee, copied papers, and did other mundane office chores.

It wasn't until two weeks when she was called in for some _real_ work.

"Fujioka, please take a look at this bank check," her advisor, Houshakuji Renge said.

Haruhi looked at a check handed to her. It looked normal, nothing wrong with it. "I'm not exactly sure, Houshakuji-san, since I'm not an expert in this area, but it looks fine to me."

"And that is where bank clerks have failed in," Renge said.

"Pardon?"

"Recently, there's been this person - we don't know if it's a group of people or not - but in any case, someone's been making fake checks, and cashing them in at banks. They've been using real company names on the checks, and it resembles an authentic check so much that these people have been getting away with it. This person, or persons,has already stolen hundreds of thousands of yen."

The amount was staggering to Haruhi, but she kept her face placid. "Do you want me to help you solve this?"

"Yes, I think you're quite capable of working on a job like this. But you'll be doing this on your own; you won't need my help - probably not anyway. I know thatyou've only been doing chores around here. It'll do you some good to actually do something worthwhile while you are here. If you have any questions, just talk to me."

"Is that it?"

"Yes, you're dismissed."

_I've been assigned a case to catch a criminal? I'm a lawyer, not a detective!_

But she decided to continue anyway with her given assignment. This kind of investigation might be useful to her someday. Who knows?

_But dear Mother in Heaven, how strangely things turned out to be!_

----------

In a rented apartment, Haruhi sat at a bare desk, tying in her laptop. Her first step in finding the criminal(s) had been researching the names found on the check. Since she was not a natural born hacker, this process took quite some time.

On the check, there was one name: Akiyoshi Satsuki. She tried researching all she could find about this person. She could only find basic information: birth date (_this person is the same age as me?)_, social security number, and identification numbers. There was no picture or any news on this person. It seemed like this person did not exist other than basic information.

So she concluded that this name was in fact an alias. _That means I can't be sure of the other information, huh?_

She looked at the check again. In the top left hand corner she read the name 'Akiyoshi Satsuki' again. The amount the check was made out for was 100,000 yen, not an unheard of amount. (AN: That's about $973 U.S.)

It was actually quite small…unless this person made more than one deposits, which was apparently the case.

The checks were cashed in at various Japanese banks; most of them she noted were large and famous banks. So that meant this person had good connections or forced his way in. She doubted the latter – security would have noticed something.

Haruhi leaned back on her chair in exasperation. _Who the hell is this person! _

_How do I trace a check that seems real! _She needed some more information.

She had to admit herself that the person was good – obviously very, very smart.

----------

"So what do you think? This'll probably work, huh?" Tamaki used a magnifying glass and carefully eyed a check.

Kyouya, only a few feet away, gave his approval. All the checks they processed had been declared asone hundred percentauthentic. Otherwise, how had the two managed to steal nearly one million yen in the last few weeks?

The bank never knew.

_Two weeks ago, Tamaki and Kyouya were sitting in a hotel room, thinking over their next plans. The room's quality was something both were not used to, but for the sake of frugality, they had swallowed their pride._

_"Look at this," Tamaki said. He took out a checkbook, and ripped out one check. "If I manage to change the name on this check and write an amount, could I go to the bank and process it?"_

_"Depends. The amount can't be unreasonable, and the name shouldn't be real, otherwise the bank could trace it," Kyouya replied._

_"So, I say we need to change our names!" He reached into one of their bags and took a manila envelope. Inside the manila envelopes were the documentations of both boys – birth certificates and passports._

_Reaching for a whiteout pen, Tamaki said, "Hm…what should I change my name to? Kyouya, you should do this too. We have to change our names."_

_"Change my name? Tamaki, how many laws have you broken by now? Getting me into this will only create shame for not only your family, but my family as well."_

_"But we've already come this far."_

_Kyouya was against it, but he conceded. "Fine, but I'm not going to change my name. If you're going to make the checks, use just your fake name. Besides, we'll have a trump card because people will assume that it's just one person."_

_"That's a good idea." Tamaki was thinking._

_"Do you have a name yet?"_

_Tamaki smiled - an idea had just occurred to him. "The best name..."_

No one knew where they were. It was something that Kyouya tried to convince himself of, but surely, he couldn't do this forever. He didn't want to run away from the law as a fugitive – he wasn't a criminal, it was his friend.

But he knew that wasn't true. Over the past two weeks, he had joined his friend on his scams. They managed to beguile others into giving them loans and cashing in checks that were fake. They used sob stories, gave gifts, and it all worked.

Tamaki was unstoppable, but it wasKyouya who was keeping track of everything. Two weeksseemed likea long time, Kyouya thought; someday, soon enough, someone would be on their trail. And Kyouya had a suspicion that it would be he who would have to get them out.

While Tamaki made the checks, Kyouya covered their tracks.And that week, he came across some interesting information, and he chuckled. He had expected it – the NPA was after them, but they were sending a college kid after them, a girl at that too. She didn't even work there; she was a law student in a internship program.

So he began a different kind of plan. This certainly wasn't the end, Kyouya thought with a slight smile.

----------

Haruhi's eyes widened. This was it. She had actually tracked the two criminals to a hotel in the Kanto region. The Kanagawa prefecture!

Grabbing a phone, she dialed the number to Renge's office to request permission to take action.

----------

The cab ride to a rather remote hotel was quiet. Sitting in the back, Haruhi reviewed her information. She had been given a badge, which allowed her to claim to be part of NPA, even if just temporarily.

Rengehad also issued a gun to Haruhi, who had been greatly distressed. _I'm a student! Not a cop!_ Nonetheless, Haruhi took the gun, albeit reluctantly. It was placed in her bag, which made it feel a lot heavier than it actually was.

Her instructions had been simple, but Haruhi had a bad gut feeling that it wasn't going to be like that.

The hotel was a Holiday Inn. She paid the money to the driver, and she walked in.

_'Go to the front desk, and ask for the room numbers.'_ Haruhi could hear Renge's voice guiding her along.

"Hi, I'm looking for a Akiyoshi Satsuki. Could you tell me his room number?" Haruhi asked the young receptionist. She gave him a nice smile.

"I'm sorry, but we can't give that kind of information out. Are you a friend or guest of Akiyoshi-san?"

_'And if the person doesn't give it to you the first time, ask again. We do this to try to show that we are persistent, yet polite.It's an important part of our protocol, so you'll do the same.'_

"Oh really? I have a prearranged meeting with Akiyoshi-kun, and he specifically asked me to be here."

The receptionist eyed the girl. She looked young, perhaps in her late teens, but Akiyoshi was young too. "I'm sorry. Akiyoshi-san made no mention of a woman coming for a meeting."

_'If they still don't give to you, just smile and show them the NPA badge. Trust me, it works everytime.'_

"That's too bad." Haruhi reached in her bag, her hand reached past the gun. She took a small wallet and flashed it open. Haruhi saw the formal insignia of the NPA reflect in the receptionist's eyes. He did a double take.

"Ah…um. Um…I can look it up…um…yes. His room number is 313."

Haruhi closed the wallet and placed it in her bag. "Thank you."

_'Usually, that does the trick. Oh, it's just like those old movies where the heroine fights and beats the bad guys!'_

----------

Although she wasn't a natural athlete, Haruhi managed to run up the stairs to the third floor relatively fast, the adrenaline already kicking in. She wanted to catch this person and there were no elevators in this hotel.

Strangely, it seemed like there were no people on the third floor. It was eerily quiet and Haruhi walked along the wall until she reached room 313. The door was slightly ajar.

She peered through the door. It didn't seem like there was anybody inside, at least not from this angle. She crept in and looked around in disgust.

The room was messy. There were bed sheets thrown off the bed, some clothes dumped unceremoniously on the ground. When she looked at the tag on the clothes, the brand names confirmed her suspicions that the criminals had money and some amount of influence. Unless they stole, of course.

On the desk there was an empty case, and she found some checks, but she didn't have time to look at it. There was a laptop and its case was there too.

Towards the back of the room was a small bathroom. She though she heard someone inside.

_Was the criminal still here? _

Haruhi debated on whether to take out the gun, but in the end she decided not to. It was too foreign to her.

Then the bathroom door opened, and a man stepped out. He did not seem surprised that a woman was standing there.

A dark-haired man walked towards Haruhi. "Ah, you must that other agent who came to arrest the criminals, right? The bank fraud case if I'm correct. At NPA?"

"Yes," Haruhi replied though her voice bordered on suspicion. "And you are?"

"I'm in Internal Affairs. My name is Okita Souji. We've already caught the perpetrator."

"We?"

"My partner, Sakamoto Ryoma and I. He's outside right now escorting the criminal to the car."

"Really?" Haruhi hadn't expected Internal Affairs to be on the case, not that she doubted it. In the end, it was less work for her, and she could finally do a real internship, not a detective chase.

"Yes, he's right there. You can see him from the window." Okita motioned towards the window, and Haruhi looked out.

She saw a blonde man helping somebody into a car, but it wasn't a police car. As if reading her mind, the man said, "Of course, we used a civilian car to attract less attention. This hotel would suffer negative business if people found out that an arrest was made here."

Startled, Haruhi looked back at the man. In any case, this case was over for her. Who the man was didn't really matter. But something about the man still nagged at her.

"I apoligize if I sound rude, but who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm Fujioka Haruhi at NPA."

"Really? I used to be at NPA, too, before I transferred to Internal Affairs."

Before she could stop herself, Haruhi asked bluntly, "Why?"

The man didn't even flinch. "I had to reprioritize my life. In the end, I decided to leave NPA for Internal Affairs."

"Oh."

The man picked up a few bags and a briefcase, but then set it back down. "The look on your face seems incredulous about my claim. Here's my wallet; my badge is in there. I have to bring these items down to the car as evidence, but then we need to fill out some forms – paperwork and all."

He handed a brown wallet to Haruhi, who took it. She didn't look at it though, there was no reason why the man _wouldn't_ be Internal Affairs anyway. There was no point. Sure, she had been a bit incredulous as the man had suggested, but it wasn't imporant. He seemed to be very intelligent to Haruhi, who had known him only for a few minutes, and he emitted an aura that said, I-know-what-I'm-doing-here.

Then Okita picked up the bags and briefcase and headed towards the door. "I'll be gone for a few minutes. I have to drop this off to my partner, and then I'll come back. Just wait here."

"Yeah, sure."

The man left. Haruhi sat on the bed, thinking about her next step. The case had turned out too easy, and almost pointless. But what would she do now? The internship would end in two weeks, and then she would be back at Todai, studying. Strangely, she longed for the simplicity of her previous life - studying, being with Hikaru and Kaoru. _Wait, I want to be with those two?_

She knew that getting the internship was an honor, that she was selected among the best in Todai. But being here, she realized that it was just a name. It wasn't really an honor. Haruhi had been doing office jobs - had she written plethoras of essays to do that? Of course, the answer was no.

Maybe she would reprioritize her own goals like the man. Next time, she would know better and pass on a prestigious "internship." Time would be better spent studying anyway.

Okita still hadn't come back. Haruhi looked at the wallet. She stared at it.

Then something hit her. _No way..._

She tearedopen the wallet, and gasped. There was no identification card, no badge, no ID. Just some random business cards and stickers. _Stickers._

Instantly alert, Haruhi ran to the window. She saw the same blonde man and the same dark-haired man that she just spoke to. They were loading a car, but not the car that the blonde had helped someone into.

The dark-haired man looked up and saw Haruhi's enraged face, as she slowly comprehended the truth.

_I was duped…_

He gave her a slight nod before getting into the driver's side. Then the car drove off before Haruhi could notice the license plate.

She ran out of the room and down the stairs. She ran past the receptionist who looked at her in surprise.

She ran out the hotel, staring at the car that was long gone. Haruhi, having lost her breath by now, stopped.

Then she took out her cell phone and called Renge to tell her the bad news.

She was fuming, but this wasn't going to be the end.

----------

"We got away!" Tamaki exclaimed in the passenger seat. "But that girl was actually pretty cute. No-wait! I can't develop an infatuation on the enemy! That was quick thinking, Kyouya."

Ignoring Tamaki's historionics, Kyouya said, "Well, now we've both revealed our faces, so we've got to be even more careful. She's going to keep coming after us, I can tell."

"It's like a game!"

"A sick-minded game."

"Don't say that, Kyouya. Indeed, a game! A game of cat and mouse. To see who will outlast the other. I told you this would fun."

"Then we'll have to make sure we win."

"Of course! That's why I have you!" Tamaki laughed.

Kyouya inwardly groaned.

----------

It's the end of another chapter. Please tell me how I did. Maybe they're not too OOC…right? I dunno.

This was a mostly Haruhi chapter I think. Hopefully, she's in character. Anyway, I've probably set a record for the most OOC Kyouya already, and I'm not kidding.

Please review - anything is appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh, by the way, I edited chapter 4, so it's kind of different now. This was a short chapter.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

* * *

"Fujioka Haruhi here," she said into the phone.

"Hello."

"Who is this?"

"You don't recognize my voice?"

Haruhi immediately recognized the business-like voice. "Okita."

"I'm honored that you remembered my name."

"Except that it's not your name."

"Excuse me?"

"I researched the name 'Okita Souji', and that person is from the Bakumatsu era. He's long dead. The same with Sakamoto Ryoma. It was an alias, was it not?"

She thought she heard a chuckle at the other end of the phone. "I must say though – you are a rather bright young lady. You're aspiring to be a lawyer, are you not?"

Haruhi wasn't sure whether to be shocked or upset by this remark, but she replied calmly into the phone, "Turn yourself in. Don't do this." 

There was a pause at the other end of the phone. After a minute went by, Haruhi realized that the man had hanged up the phone.

She leaned back into her chair and wondered for a moment why she was doing this. The internship was over, and Haruhi was back at Tokyo U, back in her familiar dorm room. The twins were back in her life once again, but life did not go back to the way it was before as she had hoped.

Kaoru, always the more insightful of the two brothers, noticed subtle changes in his friend. He saw that she was working twice as hard as before, and she was already working towards an early grave. Hikaru joked that by the time she received her diploma, she would already be with her mother.

Obviously, it was not a funny joke, and Kaoru saw the gloomy look on her face before it was quickly replaced with that familiar twitch of an eyebrow.

He noticed that she was spending more and more time in front of her computer, and this was strange because Haruhi never considered herself a "technology person." He could remember how at the beginning of the year, she had trouble with even accessing the Internet. Now, through the closed door, he could hear her pounding away at the keys, and when he knocked, he could hear her jump up and close whatever website she was on.

When he came in, he always felt like he had just interrupted something important. And of course, Haruhi never mentioned anything to the twins. She wasn't one to expose her feelings or thoughts to people, be it friends or not. It was that independence that Haruhi prided herself on – that she could take care of herself, thank you very much. 

And Kaoru would converse with Haruhi for few moments before leaving. And he knew that the moment he closed the door, Haruhi would start up again.

Strangely, Kaoru kept this a secret from Hikaru, too. He wasn't sure if Hikaru knew about this, but if he did, he was keeping it a secret from Kaoru. If he did know, Kaoru thought, he was doing a good job, considering that Hikaru was a person who wore his emotions on his very expensive sleeves.

He knew. Although Hikaru knew that he was not that good with people, he knew for sure that he was good with Haruhi. She made him feel comfortable by himself. They could speak frankly to each other when Hikaru needed to talk to someone other than his brother. And this gradually allowed Hikaru to beome more mature. He understood people better now, not throwing his feelings at them and expecting them to understand, as he had done younger. However, he had actually seen something, rather than deduing the change in Haruhi like Kaoru.

A few days after Haruhi's internship, Hikaru had gone to her dorm room in search of some notes. She was gone, and so he had decided to just look for them and leave. What he was looking for were Japanese history notes. What he found was a packet of papers on bank fraud and recent criminal cases. 

He frowned. Why was Haruhi looking at things like this? What the hell was she doing? And then, Haruhi had come in, and he had hid the papers rather guiltily. She gave him the notes and a discerning look.

Back in his room, Kaoru saw his brother's disturbed looking face. "Hikaru?"

But Hikaru smiled, and proceeded to ask Kaoru about their mother's latest fashion designs. Kaoru was not fooled. Though he could not pinpoint his brother's exact experience, he knew something had happened.

And life went on. Haruhi was as distant and indifferent as ever. Once her law professor had asked her, his best student, if she was all right and was she was getting enough sleep? She had given her professor a smile and she thanked him for his concern before leaving.

Hikaru and Kaoru, for the first time in their lives, could not communicate. They were both confused – it was so obvious that something had happened to Haruhi, but they, for some reason, could not voice this to each other.

It was strange, foreign. The three's relationship was a bit strained, but winter break was coming up. Thankfully, Haruhi had accepted the Hitachiin's invitation to their home. Kaoru hoped everything would be O.K. by the New Year. 

* * *

Kyouya was typing, as usual, when Tamaki burst in. That blonde was simply crazy, Kyouya thought. Judging from the way Tamaki walked in, Kyouya had a feeling that his friend had a new idea. A new idea, Kyouya thought with distaste.

He continued typing even when Tamaki acknowledged him. He ignored him. Their account of money was increasing more than ever, more than they had imagined. Maybe, this would be over soon. But of course, that was not, and would never be the case.

It had been three months of this "game." They were back in the suburbs of Tokyo.

"Kyouya." Tamaki clearly had something important to say, but Kyouya ignored him.

"If you have something to say, say it over dinner."

Dinner was a poor affair. Though they were rich, they never used much of the money. Tamaki found the experience to be interesting. For the first time in his life, he got to choose what he wanted to eat.

Kyouya disagreed with this. "If we have money, what is the point of having it if we do not use it?" But Tamaki merely laughed, saying this would be the ultimate commoner's experience - whatever that was, Kyouya thought.

At the supermarket for the first time (_Kyouya, look at all those commoner snacks!) _Tamaki found the all the food products to be exotic and practical. He loved the commoner's instant ramen and called it a delicacy – how ingenious was the idea of pouring hot water to cook noodles in three minutes? He found the instant coffee to be a wonderful timesaver because you didn't have to ground the beans. 

Kyouya chose not to partake in this experience. 

At night, in a poorly light rented apartment, the two ate their ramen. Kyouya retained his poise and grace, even when eating instant food. Tamaki, on the other hand, was sometimes prone to slurping and making loud sounds. Though Kyouya soundly reprimanded him for his childish behavior, Tamaki would protest that this was _the_ way to eat. It was to show appreciation to the chef, he cried out. But there was no chef, only poorly prepared noodles, Kyouya growled back.

After dinner, Tamaki proposed his new idea to Kyouya.

"What is it now?" Kyouya sighed.

"No, it's different from what you're thinking. It's a wonderful idea…" Tamaki began, opening up his arms in delight. It was a wonderful and simply magnificent idea - an idea that would prove to be a challenge.

By the time Tamaki had finished talking, Kyouya wanted to shoot himself.

* * *

On the first day of winter break, Haruhi found herself at the Tokyo International Airport. She was being taken to the Hitachiin's home, she had been told. But wasn't their home in Tokyo, she asked. That was when she was told that it was their _winter_ home in Hokkaido, of course. Why would you stay at your regular house for a vacation?

She had raised her eyebrow at Hikaru, who looked back at her. He thought he heard her grumble something about rich bastards, but decided that it was just his hearing. "What about a passport?" she asked. "You know I don't have one."

"It's been taken care of already, Haruhi. Don't you owrry about it. See you then," Kaoru had said.

So here she was, two hours early. It was a habit of hers - she simply hated being late. She seated herself in one of the lounges, which had been the designated meeting place. She hadn't brought much, just one suitcase. 

Later, when Haruhi's luggage went through the customary security procedures, the security guard would look in shock as it passed though the x-ray. There were more books than clothes in that luggage.

There were not a lot of people today, Haruhi noticed. She saw a young family: a mother, a father, and a small boy. The boy was trying to lug one of the luggages, but the mother picked the boy up and pecked him on the cheek. He was trying to pull away and Haruhi saw the woman laugh.

There were two young men there as well, probably friends, Haruhi thought. Then she turned her attention back to the textbook on her lap. She looked at her watch. Hikaru and Kaoru would be here in an hour, she noted.

When she looked up again later, the young family was gone. The two young men were still there though – they appeared to be conversing. Or rather, one was talking and the other was thoroughly ignoring him. A blonde and dark-haired man. 

If Haruhi had been interested in men, she would have noticed from the start that they were incredibly handsome. But Haruhi was Haruhi, and she only noticed the loud volume of the blonde's voice. She could hear it clearly from the other side of the room.

Then she heard the dark-haired man quiet him, and silence reigned over the lounge once again. But she felt as if there were eyes watching her, scrutinizing her every move. When she looked up, the two men looked away in a hurry. They seemed familiar, but Haruhi could not remember. 

She decided to leave them alone. It wasn't any of her business anyway.

_Why do they seem so familiar?_

There was an announcement made: a flight was beginning its boarding.

Reading her book, Haruhi heard the two men stand up and leave. As she watched them leave, she noticed something about that dark-haired man.

Something about his way of walking and aura. It reminded her of something. That confident gait.

They were getting smaller and smaller, disappearing into the large crowd, when she remembered.

_It can't be…_

Haruhi suddenly stood up, shocking the old man seated near her. She forgot about the twins and their winter home. She even forgot about her textbook and her luggage of even more books.

Suddenly, everything that mattered to her was getting away. And cursing herself for not noticing sooner, Haruhi ran into the crowd, looking for the two men. They couldn't have left already, right?

Once Haruhi was gone, the only person left in the lounge was the old man. He took out his cell phone and made a call. 

* * *

Long delay, sorry.

Please review! And thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

I haven't written anything for this fic for a long time. Like...two months. Well, I finally found some inspiration to write something, so hopefully, it's okay. Reviews are appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

"Isn't it strange how things turn out?" Haruhi asked. She had called home, reporting the details of her case that even the newspapers would not know.

Call it inside information, if you will.

"I suppose," Kyouya replied. Usually, these details meant nothing to him unless it involved a company that he was interested in.

Haruhi sensed this, and responded, "It's just that the case is taking much longer than it should. I might have to stay longer than I anticipated."

"It's fine. Just tell the hotel to add it to my tab."

"That's not what I meant."

"So what is it?" Kyouya was never one to play the guessing game.

"What about Akari?" Haruhi asked. "She's young. She hasn't seen me for days, and she won't for a few more weeks, at the very least."

"She'll be fine. She's quite independent, you know. Really takes after you." He thought he heard a small laugh over the line.

"Well, I was just hoping that I could see her, you know? It seems like it's been years," she said. "I guess all parents are kind of like that…"

But that hadn't been the case with Kyouya. He had grown up when he was ten, or something like that. Childhood was a stage of life that he had skipped. He said, "We're fine. She won't be mentally scarred or anything. Don't worry about her, and just concentrate on your case."

"How can I not worry about her?" she asked. "I'm a mother, you know."

"You're also a lawyer."

"True. Can I talk to her?"

"I would, but she's gone at the moment. A school trip."

"Oh," she softly said. "Only a child and already away from home. See? They grow up too fast. I hope you're not corrupting her, Kyouya. She doesn't need to know how to run a company when she's only seven."

He smiled. "Don't talk nonsense. What could I possibly have to gain from corrupting a young girl?" He thought he heard her suck in her breath. Then he added, "Just win the case and come home. We'll go out for dinner. Just the three of us. How does crab sound to you?"

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with an arrogant, balding social worker. Well, I won't take up your time. I've got to go anyway." A bit of sarcasm lined her words. She must really be stressed out, Kyouya thought.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later this week."

"Okay." He heard her hang up the phone. She was never one for drawn out good-byes. The dial tone rang in his ear for a few more seconds before he too hung up the phone.

The silence of the room nearly killed him. Tonight, it seemed especially empty without a certain seven-year-old girl.

* * *

Haruhi nearly gave up running around aimlessly in an airport. She was utterly, utterly lost, and she had no map. Stopping to catch her breath, she walked into an airport shop.

"A map, please," she gasped.

The clerk automatically handed it to her. She must have been used to it, Haruhi thought. The clerk's attention turned back to the television on the wall. It was showing the latest news on some corporation.

"-Group is making it final decision today. It's head–"

Studying the map, Haruhi determined that she was in the international terminal. This was bad. If those two were getting on a flight out of the country, she would lose.

"-oldest son also involved in the committee. As a side note, the youngest son–"

Haruhi heard the clerk giggle at something on the television. Tracing her finger over the international terminal, Haruhi found the nearest terminal. She would have to find a list of the departure and arrival times. The Hitachiins must be furious with her right now. She could just imagine them wondering where their favorite toy was.

They would just have to dealed with later.

"-missing. Whereabouts are unknown. Ohtori Yoshio's comments are–"

"Aha!" Her eyes widened. "If I go there…"

"-'no son of mine at all. I refuse to make another comment.'-"

The clerk was giggling louder now. A small crowd had appeared around the television set. "Oh my," Haruhi heard a lady say.

Haruhi lifted her head to finally see what the commotion was about. She stood there, mouth open at the picture flashing on the screen.

It was a face that she was decidedly familiar with. It was him. His impassive face staring at her gaping one.

Gathering herself, she straightened up, and held the map tightly in her right hand. She composed herself, but she felt that familiar feeling of victory creeping up on her. A wave of sudden determination and adrenaline flowed into her body.

_I've got you now...Ohtori Kyouya!_

* * *

"We've been disowned, haven't we?" Tamaki asked. "The horror of it all! Can you imagine the shock of this? Even now, I still do not understand the rigidity of Japanese society. Really, French society is much more lenient. They would not be overreacting like this."

"You're watching the news, just like me. Figure it out yourself," was the crisp reply.

Tamaki cast a nervous glance at his bespectacled friend. Kyouya hadn't said much for the past ten minutes. His eyes had been glued onto the television.

It was mostly about the Ohtori Group. But on the mention of Kyouya, Tamaki's name was also brought on. The two had no idea just how famous they had become. They had reached some sort of cult status, according to a young female reporter.

Their faces were repeatedly shown, as were the words, "young, wealthy runaways on a search for the meaning of life."

How had the media come up with that, Kyouya wanted to yell. What meaning of life. How dare they be called runaways!

This was not my idea, he wanted to say. It was all my friend. Arrest him.

"Should we get onto the plane?" Tamaki softly asked. "The departure is in ten minutes."

"Are you crazy? People are already beginning to notice us; I'm sure there's some reward if they turn us in like some criminals. Pull on your hood; people will recognize your hair," he said. "It sticks out."

Tamaki obediently covered his hair. "Oh, now I'll get hat hair," he mourned. Then turning back to his friend, he said, "So what must we do now? We're fugitives from the law. We'll have to run-" his eyes brightened up "-but we'll have a lot of adventures! Doesn't that sound nice? Kyouya? Kyouya?"

But Kyouya was not listening. He was thinking of new plans, new places to go. As expected, it would be him who would have to get them out, but with the news out...

...time was running out.

He discarded the worst of his ideas, narrowing them down. Tamaki now huddled next to him in anticipation, but he also sensed his friend's stress right now. Seeing the news must have been a really heavy blow on him, he decided. Was this, in a way, his fault then? He knew that Kyouya had wanted to be chosen as the heir.

Was it his fault for bringing his friend to this point? Especially if he had known the consequences? Mulling over his own thoughts, Tamaki withdrew into his own disturbed frame of mind.

Sitting next to him, Kyouya sighed. There were not a lot of options available right now. Action, Kyouya realized, would have to take place now. It had gone too far.

* * *

"Hello?" Haruhi had left the shop. At first, she had thought it would be the twins, but since she didn't recognize the caller ID, she realized it must be someone else.

"Do you recognize my voice?"

Haruhi tightened up. _It's...him._ "Why are you calling me, Ohtori Kyouya?" she demanded. She sat herself down on a nearby bench.

"Ah, so you've seen the news, haven't you? No reason to hide, then."

"What do you want? Why are you calling?" she said. _And_ w_hy do you know my cell phone number!_

"I'm thinking," he said, slowly, deliberately, "of calling a truce."


	7. Chapter 7

And I have finally found the inspiration (or at least some) to write another chapter. Strangely, this has gone from a story told by his father to his daughter to a story told in both flashbacks and flashforwards. I don't know if this is good or not. Feedback (in the form of reviews) -_coughs-_ on this matter would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

"A…truce?" she asked, her voice going higher than she intended. "What…what do you mean?"

"A truce," he said in a tone of a voice used by pre-school teachers to scold naughter toddlers. "An armistice of sorts and–"

"I don't need a definition!" she snapped. "Especially coming from you."

"Fine. I'll cut the small talk, and go straight to business. Now, you see, I have a deal–"

"Wait a second here and let's not get ahead of ourselves. Who ever said I'd make a deal with you? Of all people?"

"Well, I think this has gone on for long enough. Games never last forever."

"And you think you can just call it off? Just like that?" she exclaimed. Really, were all rich people this arrogant? Otherwise, how in the world did he think he would get away? Just. Like. That

"I'm not calling it off – like I said, it's a deal."

"Same difference," she said. "No, it doesn't end like this. The way this is going to end is with you going to jail. You think you can get away with this?"

"Then you are ignorant of my background, are you not?"

"You can't pull some strings and expect to get away with it. I've seen the news. You're going to get disowned, along with that friend you doing this with."

"Now about that deal–"

"No deal here! It's not going to work."

"You'll be provided for the rest of your life. School tuitions will be paid for. Housing and utilities will be all included. Everything is to your advantage."

"Don't try to make me an accomplice to bribery, or I'll sue you."

"Is that an empty threat?"

Haruhi was getting angry. "Don't do this."

There was no immediate answer. She thought she heard some whispering on the other end of the phone. Were the two going over something? "Ohtori, are you there? Ohtori!"

His voice returned. "Seeing as you are disinterested, I'll take my leave. Good day to you." The line was cut-off, and he was gone. Just. Like. That.

* * *

A failure, Kyouya thought. It had all ended in failure. Unfortunately, the girl wasn't going to go for his deal (and usually people begged for that), and now he really had to turn himself in or continue. He couldn't find the heart to continue.

How much money did they have now? He estimated around five million yen. Was it enough?

"Kyouya," Tamaki said with genuine concern. "So what are we going to do?"

"Who knows?" he roughly said. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be in this situation."

But his unanswered question rang in his mind. Who knows?

* * *

Haruhi sighed and placed the phone back into her pocket. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined a wonderful world where she could just study in peace.

Then she opened her eyes, and she was back inside the bustling airport, with people rushing to and fro.

What a nice dream though, she thought. She looked at her watch. It was seven. The twins were probably off in Hokkaido now, skiing and doing what rich people did. She had vague feeling that they would be mad at her for not showing up.

It's one thing to be an hour late, they would say, but it's another to completely not show up.

Since it was getting late, she might as well go home. It was just another day, and tomorrow she would rise and go to work again.

She slowly stood up and looked at her map. Following the direction of the map, she turned left and walked until she saw the exit.

_Maybe there's a sale at the market today. I could always use some more instant coffee…_

And then–

Two arms linked into hers, lifting her off the ground.

"WHAT?"

The two people paid her no heed. Swiftly, they ran out to the exit where a limo awaited them.

"What's going on?"

The window to the back seat lowered, and Haruhi caught the glimpse of a hidden man.

"Sir, we found the target!" one of them said.

_Somehow, I get the feeling that I'll miss the sale._

"Good," the man inside said. "Take her away. I'll be sure to inform him."

"Yes sir!"

The window of the limo closed. Haruhi's wide eyes of disbelief reflected off the shiny window.

"You're coming with us," the other said.

_It's not like I have a choice._

And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Kyouya was gone for the night, having to leave for a small business trip. It's only one day, he said. Although she had been notified of this days in advance, Akari still couldn't help but feel sad as she ate dinner by herself.

Without a parent nearby, the room seemed too large, too vacant. There was Shiro-chan, the maid, to wait on her, but it wasn't the same of course.

"Akari, eat your vegetables," she lightly chided. The child had a habit of leaving her greens until the end in the hopes that it would be forgotten and uneaten. Goodness knows how many times it had worked on her worn-out parents after a hard day at work.

The girl looked up at the older woman. "But I don't want to." A direct challenge.

She sighed. "Your mother would be very displeased to hear that you are not cooperating."

"But I don't want to," Akari repeated.

"If you eat this," the aging maid said, "I'll give you an extra serving of ice cream."

Akari looked thoughtful, as if she was really thinking it over. Finally, she said, "An extra serving for my vegetables." Dutifully, she began eating.

Shiro-chan breathed a sigh of relief. All these years of working for the Ohtori Family had left a lasting strain on her.

"Can I call him?" Akari later asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

"Please finish what you are eating before speaking," the maid crisply replied. "Your father would not like seeing his daughter with manners of a peasant."

She swallowed. "Can I call Father?"

"Your father is on a very busy trip. I'm afraid he'll be too tired."

"No, he won't."

"And why not?"

"Because," she said. "Father always has some time for me, no matter what, right?"

The maid felt her lips slightly turn up. All these years had gone by of her working for the Ohtori Family, and she had gotten used to the rigorous demands of the children. She had grown callous, with a quick tongue to boot.

This was one of the few times she could think of when a child truly loved her father - and showed it.

"Maybe later," she said. "I'll bring the phone to you, and you can call your father."

* * *

It's déjà vu, Haruhi thought. Two people picking her up suddenly and without warning. Bringing her to a suspicious-looking black limo with an unknown figure. Being "taken away."

Definitely déjà vu.

She sat now in a leather armchair, waiting for someone. Who, she did not know. She guessed that she was in downtown Tokyo now, in some corporate building on the thirty-third floor.

A strict-looking bodyguard watched her through a glass wall. He wore a frown and dark sunglasses. He held his hand in his jacket pocket, holding something that Haruhi suspected to be a gun of sorts.

Joy, oh joy.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the man stood up and opened the door.

"This way," he said in a low bass voice. He towered over her.

She stood up and followed him, and was led into an office.

A man sat at a desk at the other side of the room. He stood up, and when he did this, Haruhi noticed one – no, three more bodyguards stand up and bow.

Was she supposed to do the same? But being the girl that she was, Haruhi stood her ground, and she walked to the man's desk.

"You…called for me?" she asked nervously. It wasn't everyday that she was kidnapped – surely there was _some_ legitimate reason for this.

The man motioned for her to sit down in the chair in front of his desk. Haruhi sat down in another leather armchair. Didn't they have any imagination in furniture choice?

"Fujioka Haruhi?" the man asked.

"Yes?" she said, sinking into the chair. This chair was more comfortable for some reason. And was this man ever going to introduce himself?

"Pleased to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. "Ohtori Yoshio."

_Wait…Ohtori?_

* * *

Another cliffhanger? I truly worry about the way Kyouya and Haruhi are acting. Doesn this seem plausible? I mean, Kyouya is doing all of this because of Tamaki, but surely, he's got to feel a little pissed off, right? His outward actions might seem cold sometimes, but that's not his real feelings...? Is this right? I'm kind of losing the Ouran touch. Some feedback would really help for later chapters!

And I should apoligize for making Haruhi go through all of this. And it's not even over yet. Hrm.

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

As a few reviewers suggested, I did read the manga. I actually hadn't read the latest chapters (shame on me), so I was quite shocked by the latest developments. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I only hope that Hikaru will be okay...

Anyways, I'm sorry if this chapter seems kinda off. I do admit that I rushed through it, because I have a tournament to go to in forty minutes.

But, thanks for reading!

* * *

Haruhi left the office building. Suddenly, there was new hope in her case, and she certainly wasn't going to waste Ohtori Group's efforts.

The same burly bodyguard from before followed after her. It was almost ten now, and a black limousine waited for her on the driveway.

The man opened the back door for her, and she got in. He rapped his knuckles on the passenger's window until it opened, and he barked out her address to the two men idly sitting inside.

They nodded in the affirmative, closed the window, and then they left.

As Haruhi sat in the back seat, she tried to relax, but no matter what, her thoughts always returned to the meeting.

_Has he ever contacted you before?_

Well…yes. I suppose.

_By that uncertain answer, I will assume that he found your number without your knowledge._

…Yes.

The head of the Ohtori Group was not a physically imposing man, yet there was something about the way he spoke, the way he looked at her, the way he walked, that struck fear and obedience into Haruhi.

The only other person who could make her feel this way was his son – third son, apparently – the runaway delinquent.

She could only conclude that it ran in the family.

_How many times has he contacted you?_

Twice.

_Should he ever, Fujioka-san, contact you again, you are to not pick up. He could be tracking you._

But how would I know if he's calling or not?

She remembered that the man had then looked at her in such a way as to say there was a difference between regular people calling and people with the name Ohtori calling.

And tracking? Why would Ohtori want to stalk her? Of all people?

She was given permission to have any access to certain files – all under supervision, of course – that could help her case against him.

He was not using his family's money right now (and nor would he), so it was decided that he had either stole or received it from a third party.

Haruhi noticed that almost no talk had been made of the Suoh boy. It was all about Ohtori.

Kyouya and Tamaki were deduced to be in Tokyo she was told.

Something about them being seen by one businessman or another, who then reported it to the Head, Ohtori Yoshio.

From the looks of it, when the third son was caught, boy, was he in for it.

Disownment seemed like a gift from heaven. From her conversation with Ohtori Yoshio, Haruhi had already realized that he was a) a very hard man who b) expected a lot of his children, and c) hated failure. Even trying your best was not an option.

Haruhi learned that as a result of these two runaways, the stocks had decreased from both the Ohtori and Suoh Groups, but especially from Ohtori.

The Suohs were already in a considerable financial hardship – in rich people's terms, Haruhi thought with a sigh – and that was a possible reason why the Suoh boy – Tamaki, he was called – had it relatively easier.

Ohtoris, on the other hand, had no space for failure, so Kyouya's actions were heavily looked upon. He was _really_ in for it. Haruhi wondered if the sneaky runaway had a few more cards up his sleeve. For the sake of her remaining sanity, she hoped not.

"Ma'am?" the driver said, interrupting her thoughts. "Is this your apartment?"

"Ah, yes," she said, feeling more comforted at the sight of her abode. "This is it. Thank you for the trouble."

"It's no problem compared to what you're doing," the driver muttered. "From what we've heard."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes. "And what have you heard?"

The driver immediately noticed the change in Haruhi; perhaps it was from working for the Ohtori Family for a few too many years to count. "Not much," he said. "Not much."

* * *

And so a year passed. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty-five days…

Haruhi had never felt so worn out, so stressed by life.

Her studies fell, and she went from number one to number two. And she wasn't even done yet.

Still an undergraduate student, Haruhi had yet to go through the three-year law school recently created by the Japanese government.

And the bar exam.

Haruhi, exhausted by this day's lecture, fell onto her bed in a heap.

Suddenly, she didn't care about those two runaways.

Her meeting with the Ohtori patriarch was three months ago, and since then, Kyouya and Tamaki had disappeared from Tokyo. Once again.

She wondered how long they would last. Because, she reasoned, surely they could not last forever, right? And where did they get all their money?

It was question that she had been unable to answer.

Haruhi fell asleep without changing her clothes or starting her homework.

* * *

France was always a sensitive topic for Tamaki. France was his birthplace. France was where he had spent the first fourteen years of his life.

And had not visited for many years.

And so, seeing France now – though from a plane – brought back both nostalgic and painful memories.

France was where he had last seen his mother.

France was where she still was, though her location was unknown to him.

France was where he and Kyouya were headed to now. To regroup, rest, and make a little money.

It was called printing.

Kyouya had laid out a plan. Japan was too risky for them now, he said, with both with that girl and his father beginning to get on their case.

It would not surprise him, he said, if his father had already contacted Fujioka Haruhi to recruit, or blackmail, her into capturing him.

They were headed to the capital of France – the city of lights – Paris.

But Paris was not their final destination. From Paris, they were going to head south, down towards Lyon, where they would set up shop and printing press.

Kyouya had it all planned out.

By now, he had learned the finer points of making checks, so he knew what to do and what to avoid. They would be printing money to use, and that was their payroll. They would have money for food, clothes, and other necessities.

The rest would go to Tamaki. And from watching the news, Kyouya knew that his family wasn't getting any better.

Tamaki, meanwhile, was going to choose their source of residence. However, there were a few restictions:

Nothing too expensive – by their standards.

Nothing too extravagant or obvious. Discreet being the key word. (Kyouya said it again just for good measure.)

And somewhere close to the airport.

Tamaki quickly replied by saying that he could think of ten places off the top of his head that fit the description.

He told Kyouya of a small neighborhood that he knew of, quiet and quaint, built in the eighteenth century. But it had been newly renovated for the twenty-first century, and it was mix of tradition and cutting-edge.

Kyouya only nodded. Tamaki continued to talk.

Though one hour from landing, he was already beginning to polish his French, striking up a conversation with a middle-aged woman across the row.

Kyouya was not as proficient in French as Tamaki, but he did understand the majority of their conversation.

"So right now, the weather in Paris is wonderful. The best in the world," said the woman.

"Yes, indeed, I haven't been back to France for a long time, but Paris is, and will always be, beautiful," Tamaki replied.

"That's true," said the woman. "Why, I'm visiting my friend again down in the south. I haven't seen her for a long time."

"Really? My friend and I are also going to the south."

"How wonderful. I have always loved it there. Lyon, especially, has a great natural beauty to it. Where are you going in the south?"

At this point, Kyouya nudged Tamaki.

Tamaki understood immediately. To the woman, he said, "We haven't decided yet. Well, it was very pleasant to talk to you. The flight should be landing soon."

"It was wonderful to talk to you, too. My, these days, it seems as if young people do not appreciate to speak with their elders."

"Is your friend picking you up?"

"Oh, no. Anne-Sophie has always been frail. Her driver should be meeting me at the airport."

"I see. I hope you have a nice time on your trip," Tamaki said.

"Thank you. I hope the same for you, too," the woman said. She turned back to her seat.

Tamaki did the same, but instead of starting a new conversation with another passenger, he remained silent for the rest of the flight. He said nothing to Kyouya even after they had gotten off.

They were silent throughout customs and baggage claims.

Kyouya, who had heard the last part of Tamaki's conversation, understood.

Anne-Sophie was the name of Tamaki's mother.

* * *

"Father," Akari said. "How are you?"

"Akari, it's late. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" her father said.

"But I wanted to talk to you…"

"You'll see me tomorrow. Go to sleep. The maid is going to tuck you in."

"Okay."

"I'm going to hang up."

"Well, okay. It was good to hear your voice, I guess."

She thought she could hear her father's smirk over the phone. "Go to sleep."

"I will."

She hung up. Shiro-chan took the phone and placed it back in the hallway. "So, you got what you want, Akari-chan. Now, do what your father said and go to sleep."

"How do you know what he said?"

The maid placed her hands on her hips. "No more questions. Now – go to sleep."

* * *

Despite whatever he said, Kyouya genuinely respected his friend. He would never admit it, of course, but right now, he patiently waited for his friend.

Tamaki returned from the restroom with a better color to his face, and it was a cheery smile that he said, "Okay, let's go."

But Kyouya sighed. Tamaki was faking it. "No, I think we should go rest for a moment. Airplanes are always uncomfortable anyway. How about we go to a café?"

"Sure, if you want to," Tamaki said, still smiling. "From here, I think there's a good brassiere that's quite famous."

"Is it close?"

"Yes, a ten-minute walk, perhaps."

Kyouya agreed, and they went back inside the airport to store their luggage in the lockers. They didn't carry much on them, and they set off for some food, in the hopes that filling their stomachs would take their mind off other matters.

Perhaps, Kyouya thought, the smell of baking could restore Tamaki's spirits. They sat down at a small table in the front, where they could look out and see the bustling streets.

From Kyouya's prodding – a rare occurrence – Tamaki also ordered a coffee.

They ate nothing because the mere smell of freshly baked bakery goods filled them up. The oven was working hard in the back of the brassiere, with a worker expertly placed the trays full of various types of bread in and out.

Baguettes, rolls, and croissants filled the air.

The flour seemed to be dissapating through the room, which now held a light fragrance of baking ingredients and flowers.

Kyouya, who normally held a disdain for such, found himself savoring the coffee. It was much better than the instant coffee Tamaki had once forced him to consume only a few months ago.

Tamaki looked around the streets, as if he was trying to find a familiar face. He took periodic sips from his cup, his face holding a wistful look.

The French girls were already noticing this young blonde man, but for the first time in his life, Tamaki did not see it.

"Anne-Sophie is a common name," Kyouya finally said. "There's no guarantee."

"With a frail body?" Tamaki asked. His eyes, normally full of energy, looked deeply saddened. "What are the chances of that combination?"

"Tamaki, you know you can't just follow a lead like that. It's hasty and unverified. Even if it happens to be near where we're going."

"Would…it hurt to try?" Tamaki asked. Then he lowered his head in shame. He felt a wave of red creep onto his face. "Actually, forget about it, Kyouya. I'm just being selfish. I've already been so selfish…"

"Tamaki..."

He resumed his sad, melancholic ways, sipping his coffee then sighing then sipping some more.

Kyouya leaned back on his chair (rather tacky, but livable), and could only look at his friend. Tamaki had suffered so much over the past year. He could only hope that they would be able to escape from this unscathed.

* * *

This story has so many weird twists, I'm kind of getting overwhelmed by it all. But don't worry, I have the next few chapters planned out, so all I have to do is...write. Hrm.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

I have a correction to make because I made the error of thinking that Lyon was in the south of France. However, upon looking at a map, it's actually in east central France. Oops. But technically, Lyon is still south in relation to Paris, so…

Anyways, please excuse this mistake, and hopefully this chapter makes up for it. Also, I'm sorry for the very long delay (almost a month?). I think I'll put a warning here for OOCness because I can never be too sure how they'll act.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Word came to Haruhi through the phone late at night with no apologies for waking her from her slumbers.

"Fujioka Haruhi?" came a rough male voice.

"…Yes?" she weakly replied.

"We've confirmed the boys' location. They're in France."

"Ah, France…" Then it hit her. "FRANCE?"

"Yes, unfortunately, we have yet to determine exactly _where_, but rest assured that we will let you know."

"Um…yes," she said, fully awake now. "Of course."

_I'm very assured that you'll let me know. Especially if it's just after midnight._

The man hung up without another word. Haruhi fell asleep without another thought.

--

Halfway around the world, Tamaki was leading Kyouya (yes, this time it was _Tamaki_ being the tour guide) to another sight. They were now in the Medieval Quarter of Lyon.

Kyouya, thoroughly tired and stressed, felt near to his physical limit.

Unfortunately, Tamaki was the complete opposite, bursting with energy and vigor. He dragged his sleepy friend down the cobbled streets, pointing to shops and buildings every now and then, which in turn led to renewed memories of his past.

"And this…" he said, "was where I almost got lost…"

_Thump._

He turned around.

Kyouya had reached his limit. He fell down in a not-very-dramatic way, and promptly said, "When I wake up, remind me to kill you…"

"What! Why would I remind you to kill _me_? Kyouya? Kyouya!"

"Just a few minutes…"

Looking at his friend, Tamaki tried to think of the nearest inn that he was familiar with. Of all places they had to go, it was somewhere where he usually got lost!

The sight of a slumped body on the sidewalk began to attract stares, so Tamaki quickly grabbed his friend and slung him over his shoulder.

Now they were attracting more stares.

But Tamaki paid no heed to the attention (because he's used to it), and he continued down the streets, looking for a place to stay.

He found a pension.

It was small and situated between two large stores so it gave off a squished appearance.

Hoping that Kyouya was too tired to care where they were staying, Tamaki opened the front door and stepped in.

The small bell hitched onto the door chimed, and a middle-aged woman greeted them.

"A room, please," Tamaki said in French. He motioned towards Kyouya. "My friend is tired."

"Of course," the woman warmly replied. "We have an open room on the second floor, so if you please…"

She led them upstairs and they turned right. It was the first room.

A key was placed around a necklace chain she was wearing. The key fit, and Tamaki and Kyouya were ushered inside.

"Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask," the woman said before leaving.

Tamaki placed Kyouya on one of the beds. Thankfully, there were two.

He looked tired. He really did. His breathing was even, and thankfully, it didn't seem like he had a fever.

Watching his friend, Tamaki couldn't help but once again feel regretful of his decision. Because of this, Kyouya would go down too.

Because of him, they would go to jail.

Because of him, he wouldn't get to use a kotatsu again.

Because of him, Kyouya would never get married, and Tamaki wouldn't get the chance to be his best man!

Tomorrow, when Kyouya was better, they would have to begin to set up their shop. Kyouya had told him that they would have to travel because they couldn't stay in one place.

It was only through sheer will that Tamaki did not say he wanted to go home. Because if he wanted to go home, it meant that they were giving up.

There was no end to it.

But!

Tamaki held his head up. It would do no good to be down. Tomorrow, he resolved, he would take Kyouya out to a bouchon (1)!

--

"Your assistance has been requested," the man said over the phone. "You should know the reason."

"Yes, that's true that I do know…but," she said. "I cannot do that."

"Have you forgotten your obligation? Your debts?" he reminded her.

"O-of course not! I would never, especially when–"

"Exactly. Do as I say, and not only will you see him again, but also all of your family's debts will be gone. You have my word."

"No. I'm sorry, but I cannot," she said defiantly. "I've been a traitor for long enough."

"So you don't mind to see him suffer? The media has been talking about it. It's bad publicity, and especially so for your–"

"No," she said. "I can't do that to Tamaki. I can't. Even if it is for his own safety."

"Then," he said. "The consequences should be of no surprise to you then."

There was a pause on the other end. He added, "And, even if you do not cooperate, there are…other methods that I could use. Especially since Tamaki is in France."

"Tamaki? France?" she cried out. "No. He's not. What lies are you saying? He cannot be in France. It's…it's impossible!"

"Impossible as it may seem, the truth is the truth," he said with finality. "I'll say it one last time: this is for the best. This is the least harmful way. This is the best for everyone; for both of our families. You will not regret this decision."

"I…" She hesitated. "I just…wanted the best for him. I've been such a horrible person."

"There is no reason for you to feel that way. Think of this as redemption. You will be freed of your sins, and you will see Tamaki once again."

"I…I…" She felt the situation weighing in on her. She felt the pressure crushing her body. She felt no redemption. She was a sinner in her mind, and she would always be that. She knew what she would be getting into, and she wanted to hurt herself for it, but nonetheless, she said, "I agree. I agree to this."

"Good," the Ohtori patriarch replied. "That was a very good decision you made."

--

Kyouya woke up with a start. He looked at the covers. He looked at the bed and around the room.

Where was he?

Rubbing his eyes for a clearer view, he vaguely remembered collapsing on the street, having reached his limit. His recollections after that were sketchy, but somehow, he had ended up in this room.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki's familiar voice entered. "You're awake!"

He slipped on his glasses. "Where are we?"

"A pension," Tamaki answered. "You kind of, er, crashed in the street, so I carried you here! And you've slept ever since."

"Really?" he said. "What about you?"

"Oh, me? I'm fine. I was too excited to sleep, so I went out and bought you – this!"

Tamaki held up a bag full of baguettes. "I figured you'd be hungry since you didn't eat last night. See?" He smiled. "We can leave today unless you're still tired."

"I'm fine," Kyouya quickly said. "We can leave right now."

"Ah – but, the food!"

"We'll eat it later," he said, putting on his jacket. "We should leave now. The sooner the better."

"Kyou-_ya_!"

--

"You have the number that I've given you now," Ohtori Yoshio said. "Call this number tonight."

"Whose number is it, if I may ask," Haruhi asked a bit nervously.

The man replied in a manner that made it impossible for her to _not_ feel suspicious. "You'll find out."

--

Tamaki and Kyouya leased a building. It was well hidden, but still contained a lot of room.

Taking out a pen, Kyouya wrote out the supplies that they would need. "Okay, now, we need to buy this"– he pointed at the list –"preferably as soon as possible.

"Once we get the parts and machines working, it's actually quite simple. All we'll have to do is run it."

"But, where will we buy the parts?" Tamaki eyed the list. It was full of complicated sounding items.

Kyouya smirked. "I have this number here," he said, "that will get everything ready for us. All we have to do is pay. Really, this is quite simple."

Tamaki looked more visibly relaxed. "Okay. That's good. How long do you think it'll take before we print the first printing?"

"If it goes according to my plans," Kyouya replied. "We'll be millionaires twice over by next week. Then, we leave for another country. Stay there, and come back. So, take your pick, Tamaki. Where do you want to go? Spain or Germany?"

"How about Spain?" he said. "I've always wanted to go to El Prado."

--

"Hello? My name is Fujioka Haruhi. I was told to call this number…" she said.

"Ah, yes, I've been expecting you," replied a woman's voice. "I know your situation. Please, call me Anne-Sophie."

"Well, okay, Anne-Sophie-san. I have a question for you though. I'm not exactly sure why I'm supposed to call you. Perhaps you could explain?"

"That's why I'm talking to you, dear girl. It's a long story though."

"It's okay," Haruhi replied. "I have time."

An hour later, Haruhi was fully aware of the real situation. The real motives. The true identities. And of all people, she hadn't expected to speak with Suoh's mother.

Mother!

She sounded very kind, very patient over the phone.

Haruhi wondered what amount of strength it took to be like that.

"A flight has been arranged for you to France," Tamaki's mother said. "The ticket has been paid for, and it's tomorrow. I was told that you're on break, so it shouldn't be a problem."

_They know my school schedule?_ "Yes," she said. "It's no problem at all."

--

By the next week, Tamaki and Kyouya had managed to put the machines together. For two teenager boys with no previous experience in mechanics, this was an impressive accomplishment.

Tamaki wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Whew, _that's_ finally over with."

"Well, as long as that is done," Kyouya said, "we can print."

"So," Tamaki said, reading the instructions manual, "according to this, we have to work this lever, and it'll work by itself."

"Exactly. It should take about three to four hours for it to be processed, but it will be worth it."

Kyouya flipped through a folder of notes. "Now all we have to do is to wait," he said. "Can you do that, Tamaki?"

The blonde looked at his friend. "Of course," he said. "I can do that."

--

Haruhi shifted uncomfortably in her first-class seat.

Really, she hadn't known that she would be in first class. Of course she had assumed that she would fly economy, but then she realized her mistake.

These were rich people that she was dealing with. They probably wouldn't know any other.

The seat was a bit too cushiony, the features on her personal television a bit too many.

She was a fish out of water, as clichéd as it sounded.

The food, however, she liked.

It was something that was presumably French, but it tasted good, which was all that mattered.

It turned out that Tamaki's mother came from family that had once owned several businesses that worked for Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization.

The family businesses, over the years, accumulated debts that remained unpaid, and they all closed. Hence the reason why Anne-Sophie became unable to pay for medical fees and bills.

Though it was not open to the public, or Interpol, she was still privy to most of the information provided by these former business. Information that not even the Ohtori family could access.

She was made a deal with Ohtori Yoshio: give the information that he wanted and in return, her family debts would be paid off, and she would be able to see her son Tamaki again.

Anne-Sophie was truthful during her conversation with Haruhi, and they had debated on the true intentions of Ohtori patriarch, whom they had both agreed was a "creepy man who smiled for all the wrong reasons."

The accession of the plane was smooth, but maybe that was because this was Haruhi's first time on a plane.

Her ears felt like they were going to pop off, but fortunately, the nice woman in the next seat gave her a piece of gum.

As she chewed, the pain in her ears lessened.

She followed the other passengers as they got off the plane, and learned at the baggage claim that she had the smallest suitcase of all the other first-class passengers.

_Not much surprise there though._

In the past year, Haruhi had learned to not be surprised by too many things.

A tall man holding a sign reading 'Haruhi Fujioka' stood at the gate where people could meet the plane passengers.

"Are you the–" Haruhi began.

But the man swiftly turned to exit the automatic doors. Haruhi hastened her step to follow him. She was led to the outside curb where cabs and cars were parked.

The car they went to was an obscure 1999 Peugeot 206.

That was what the man had informed her, and what she had accepted to be true. Haruhi was never one who was interested in cars.

The backdoor of the car opened, and a blonde woman stepped out.

"Ah, Haruhi-san," she said, "how are you?"

"And you must be Anne-Sophie-san," Haruhi replied.

"I apologize for the car, but one can only do with what they have."

"It's no problem for me, I assure you," she said. "Cars don't matter too much."

Haruhi suspected that the man, who was also the driver, flinched, but she chose to ignore it. She listened to the woman talk.

"Now, Haruhi-san," she said. "There's only so much time and so much energy in this life that we have. So I want to ask you something."

"Of course."

"Why are you doing this?"

Haruhi froze. Why _was_ she doing this? Her internship had turned out to be so different from what she'd imagined. Jounouchi-san, from the Criminal Investigation Bureau, had probably forgotten about it. She hadn't heard from her ever since the internship supposedly "ended."

What was her drive? What did she possibly have to gain from something like this? A nice point to make in her résumé? (I chased down two con artists who were making fake checks, stealing millions of yen.)

What was its relevance to her dream? To becoming a criminal lawyer, what did it mean? Haruhi wanted to think that this was just the first test, an obstacle that she had to cross to prove whether she had what it took. The guts. Determination. Perseverance.

Anne-Sophie watched the changing expressions on the younger woman's face. She smiled. "Oh, we're here," she announced. "Haruhi-san."

"Huh?" Haruhi's head jerked up; she had been occupied in her own thoughts. The side door was already open, and Haruhi scrambled to get out.

They went inside where they served themselves with tea, and talked. Nothing about the case, of course, just a regular conversation.

Haruhi was never asked to answer Anne-Sophie's question, and they never brought on the topic again. Haruhi got the feeling that it had been meant for herself, and for that, she found herself respecting the woman.

It was a mutual relationship of respect they shared with each other.

--

"I think I've found it!" Haruhi called out. "Lyon!"

Anne-Sophie entered the room with Hachibee the dog in tow. The dog jumped on her, and she lightly chided the dog. "Not now, Hachibee." Turning towards Haruhi, she asked, "Ah, so that's where it is…"

"Yes, I found their address, too. It's amazing how much access to police information you have, Anne-Sophie-san."

"Family business." The woman waved it away. "But Lyon. I never imagined – was it intentional?"

"What was intentional?"

Anne-Sophie smiled. "Why, Lyon is the central headquarters for Interpol. It's where I lived for most of my life."

"Oh." Haruhi turned towards back the computer screen. "But, this also means that we'll – or I'll – have to confront them soon, won't I?"

Anne-Sophie handed her a cup of water. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you words of advice because I've never been in a situation like this myself. But, I want to let you know that I admire your courage very much." She paused. "I know that I've been a coward for most of my life."

"What are you saying?" Haruhi asked. Truthfully, she added, "I think you can be admired for many reasons yourself, Anne-Sophie-san."

"Really?" she asked. She looked at Haruhi as if wanting to add more. She paused. Opened her mouth. Stopped. Repeat. "Actually…Haruhi-san," she finally said, "I've always wanted to ask you something…"

"What is it?"

"Kyoto…is it true that it's Japan's wonderland?"

Haruhi gapped. Kyoto? Japan's wonderland? "Anne-Sophie-san…I think you might…"

And five minutes of frantic clarification and banged heads (Haruhi's) on the table later, Anne-Sophie was beginning to see the truth.

"I see…" she sadly said. "So Kyoto isn't Japan's wonderland. So that also means that Goryokaku, Shisa, and Namahage aren't in Kyoto…"

_She looks so disappointed_. "But, um…" Haruhi tried, "Kyoto is still a wonderful cultural and sightseeing city."

"Yes! Of course! Now I know something new; that's great!" she beamed. "Oh! Would you like some more tea?"

_And she's recovered really fast too_. "I'm fine. Thank you very much for what you've done so far. Especially since you have a frail body, too," she said.

"It's because I've moved here, Haruhi-san. Nature truly is beautiful when you see it in person rather than from a distance. But I'm talking too much now," she said. "Now, we have to continue working, right?"

"Right."

--

The machine hummed.

The machine buzzed.

The machine worked its magic, and money was flowing out.

"Kyouya," Tamaki noticed. "It's dollars, not yen." He held up a hundred dollar bill.

"Dollars is easier to exchange. It'll be less suspicious too, probably."

"I see."

They organized the money in piles, the stacks growing higher and higher.

They kept counting and piling, the money count eventually reached one million.

And that was when a knock came on the door.

* * *

A long chapter with a cliffhanger.

(1) bouchon - A type of restaurant found in Lyon that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine. In case you were wondering.

Well, hopefully it turned out okay. Again, sorry for the delay. I'll make sure the next chapter gets up faster. This chapter might have a lot of grammatical errors, so if you can point out any, that'd really help. I'll probably re-edit this some time or another.

Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

I'm sooorrrry! It's been forever, hasn't it? I blame writer's blook for only this story, but I guess I'm making excuses. I know it's really short, and again, I'm sorry. I'll try to be faster next time, and hopefully, it won't be two months before I update again.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

The door was locked.

She knocked.

No answer.

She knocked again, harder this time.

Putting her ear against the door, she heard the strained noises of a machine, but she couldn't be sure as to what it would be.

Seeing as no one was going to kindly open the door for her, Haruhi decided to find an alternate route. She turned to the side of the building, but that only led to the store next door.

She turned the corner to the back. She found a door, and managed to barge in.

There was a strange sight waiting for her. It was like a factory assembly line. Machines almost as high as the wall were lined next to each other. Piles of money were scattered on the floor and floating down from the ceiling.

It was at once chaotic and mesmerizing.

She quickly scanned the area. No one was present.

"You should come out," she called out. "You're here somewhere, Ohtori. I know that."

"That's true."

She turned around. Kyouya had appeared from behind one of the machines.

"Are you here to arrest me?" he asked her.

"Are you going to give up?" she said instead. "There are two dozen police waiting for you outside, and they won't hesitate to shoot. Come with me, and you'll be safe."

"Safe?" He laughed. "Do you hear what you're saying? There is no police outside. It's just you, me, and Tamaki here."

He pointed his finger to the back. "Tamaki, come out."

"But Kyouya," he protested, "you've ruined my hiding spot."

"Some hiding spot. I could see your hair from here."

With no way out, Tamaki walked out to where Kyouya was, and they both watched Haruhi for her next move.

"So what you going to do?" Kyouya asked her.

"I'm going to make you a deal," she said. After taking a breath, she said, "Give up now, and I can make sure your jail sentences are shorter."

"Why should we? And how can you guarantee that?"

"I have my own connections," she said, feeling more confidence now. "My own methods. Isn't that what you always say?"

"Indeed," he said. "So you are working with my father, aren't you?"

A pause.

"H-how," she stuttered, taking an extra step back. "How would you know?"

"Because he's my father." Kyouya adjusted his glasses. "Because we're from the same family, no matter how many times I'm disowned."

Haruhi turned towards Tamaki now. "And you – Suoh," she said. "I can make sure that you meet your mother again. You've been separated from her for years now, haven't you?"

Tamaki's first instinct was to look at Kyouya. Then he turned towards Haruhi. "What is the meaning of this? Why bring my mother into this?"

"I've talked to her. In fact, she's outside right now, waiting for you," Haruhi said. "All you have to do is put this on." And from her bag, she took out two pairs of handcuffs.

"A bluff." Kyouya grabbed a nearby bag, and said to Tamaki, "Let's go. We might as well leave a bit earlier than planned."

"But, Kyouya, what if–"

"You honestly believe that girl? You think she's telling you the truth?" he said. "She's just bluffing because she has nothing else to go by."

"But…" Tamaki slowly said, "how did she find us then?"

"Finding us and catching us are two entirely different things." Kyouya tightened his grip on the door handle. Haruhi made no move. "Come on."

"Kyouya…"

"You should think about what your friend is saying," she finally said. "Why would I lie to you? I could have lied to you many times. Those times that I've met you, I've never lied once. Why would I lie all of a sudden?"

"Everyone has their own motives," Kyouya quietly said. "You're lying, and that I can tell."

Tamaki inched closer to the door, a bag slung over his shoulder as well. His face was blank, and Haruhi wondered what thoughts he was having about his mother.

"Don't go outside," she tried again. "Those cops won't hesitate to shoot. They don't care if you're an Ohtori or Suoh or a nobody. To them, you're just a criminal – like anyone else they have to face."

Kyouya stopped. He let go of the handle, and he looked down at the ground.

"If you go outside right now," she said, "you'll have to face the music. So don't. If you come with me, you'll be safe at least."

"Tamaki…" Kyouya looked at his friend. "What do we do?"

"I…I don't know," he said. "I-I'm sorry, Kyouya. Really, I am so sorry." And he dropped his bag on the ground.

Haruhi wordlessly handed him the handcuffs. Tamaki put one on by himself, and he gave the other to Kyouya.

Kyouya looked at it. The metal was cold in his hands for more than one reason. He wanted to believe the girl was lying. He _knew_ she was lying. She had to be lying. What else could it be?

A thousand different scenarios ran through his head. He thought of a hundred different things to say and to do. There was an unlimited number of ways he could get out. By himself if he had to.

Tamaki had lost. He was giving up. Perhaps it was the strain of the running away for so long. Perhaps he really believed the girl's shallow words.

Perhaps. Perhaps.

He hated the guess work of it all. He was always so sure of himself. He didn't like to be in the dark, and that unfortunately, was where he currently was.

And so, he dropped his bag, and held onto the handcuffs. His hand trembled, but only for so long.

Surprisingly, he felt nothing. No regret. No feelings.

Because he had realized; because he knew what had just happened.

If it was possible, the world had just screamed to him 'GAME OVER,' and he had to accept it himself, whether he wanted to or not.

Haruhi led the two boys outside where they were greeted by the sunshine of the day.

No police cars were in sight.

Kyouya hung his head and chuckled. "Good job," he couldn't help but say.

But a few seconds later, the blaring of sirens was heard.

Five cars blazed through the streets and parked in front of the warehouse.

A woman was stepping out, but he couldn't place her.

If only he had realized that he was wrong. It was only the first part of the game that was ending.

Something else was about to start – that little something called 'love.'

* * *

Don't worry, it's going to be a while before that happens, so it's not like OMG, Kyouya, I realized that after chasing you around the world for a year, I'm in LOVE with you!

No. Of course not. This story might take a while (in terms of length), and I'm not entirely sure myself.

Reviews are welcomed, and if anything, it's made me happy that there are people out there who actually like this story. Thanks to all reviewers!


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